Being selfishly consumed with shame and pride toward a loved one can cause one to treat that beloved individual in a cruel manner. In James Hurst's fictional short story "The Scarlet Ibis," the narrator realizes exactly these truths through a brutal experience. The story is a flashback told from the antagonist's point of view; it's about a boy whose internal conflicts towards his brother, Doodle, motivated him to push his brother until he collapsed. Pride, love, and shame fight against the narrator's desire to help Doodle: his love encourages the need to help, but he ultimately gives in to the cruelty that killed his brother. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The narrator urges Doodle to exceed his physical limits because of the shame he felt at Doodle's failures and because of his selfish desire to have a brother who was normal. But deeper, the narrator was afraid of what others would think of him when he was around Doodle. He was ashamed of his sweet, naive and jovial brother, who admired him (Brother) and did not even have the ability to walk. “It was bad enough to have a disabled brother...I was ashamed to have a disabled brother” (146, 149). Because he was ashamed of Doodle, the narrator tried to turn him into something he could be proud of. He pushed him to the breaking point because he was selfishly embarrassed. Greed was also a factor in this situation. The narrator longed for a brother he could run and play with, someone like him. Doodle, however, was the opposite. “I wanted more than anything...someone to box with, someone to roost with in the upper fork of the big pine tree behind the barn. I wanted a brother” (143). Since Doodle was not the brother the narrator had in mind, he decided to "fix" him. The narrator's desire for a regular sibling, combined with the shame he felt towards Doodle, led him to try to force Doodle to be someone he was not. The narrator's sense of pride also caused Doodle to do things that were not in his best interest. . The narrator states that he needed something to be proud of and Doodle potentially was. Brother galvanized Doodle to do things to make him stronger, to make him an object of pride: “…we all must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine” (147 ). It's natural to be proud of the people we care about, but too much pride can be dangerous for them if you force them to do certain things. After Doodle learned to walk with the narrator's help, Brother felt something in his chest that would greatly affect his and Doodle's lives forever: pride. From that moment on, he began to think that he was invincible, that he would achieve anything. “I began to believe in my own infallibility...I would teach him to run, swim, climb trees, and fight” (150). The narrator felt his first surge of pride, and this glorious feeling is addictive to those who are not humble. Brother needed more, that emotion that made him feel powerful and perfect. For pride to invade him again, he must push Doodle even harder. Even though the narrator ultimately acts heartless towards Doodle, there is love that can be discerned in his actions. The narrator himself describes this special way of loving Doodle. Within each of us lies the ability to hurt those we love, and Brother's ability is simply more.